This is our second year of regular weekly commitments - and I have an 8 year old and an 11 year old. We held off in the past (COVID, boredom, cost, lack of interest on the kids part) but I love the majority of what they do now (martial arts, Scouts, and music lessons - this is especially great because my oldest can now receive music lessons during the school day!). We've dabbled in just about every activity (swim lessons, community choir, soccer, flag football, field hockey, bball) and I view it as giving them a taste. Did you like it? Great! Did you learn from it? Awesome! Do you want to do it again? We can see if it fits into the budget/schedule. My husband and I both work FT and stack our activities so Tuesday and Thursday we are out driving kids but for the most part, we are home the other evenings (and their current activities only have occasional weekend commitments). It's a win for me because it provides structure, routine (something my eldest needs to thrive), and community. We split the driving and during my nights, I will often run errands or read a fun book at the dojo which is a win. It's taken a lot of time for us to get here, and I still have to remind myself that this is what works for our family in our current season of life when I look at friends whose kids don't do any extracurricular activities and other friends whose kids do multiple each season. We all function differently and for now, this is what works for us!
My mindset about kid activities is very similar to yours, but our 1.5 year old just started her first activity (swim lessons since they were close and seem like a good practical life skill since Dad doesn't know how to swim) so we'll see if it changes! The culture of Seattle parenting for professionals seems to necessitate lots of paid activities and competitive private schools and I want to resist it but also don't want her to be deprived so striving for a healthy balance. My husband and I are both introverts who talk a lot in our day jobs so our inclination on weekends is not to expend social energy so we can recharge, but I suspect our child will push us out of our normal routines in her typical adorable but very firm way.
I'm currently expecting my first kid and have a lot of fear of losing my own time when the baby gets here. Your post reassures me that I don't need to figure it out all at once and some of it could even be...fun!
This is our second year of regular weekly commitments - and I have an 8 year old and an 11 year old. We held off in the past (COVID, boredom, cost, lack of interest on the kids part) but I love the majority of what they do now (martial arts, Scouts, and music lessons - this is especially great because my oldest can now receive music lessons during the school day!). We've dabbled in just about every activity (swim lessons, community choir, soccer, flag football, field hockey, bball) and I view it as giving them a taste. Did you like it? Great! Did you learn from it? Awesome! Do you want to do it again? We can see if it fits into the budget/schedule. My husband and I both work FT and stack our activities so Tuesday and Thursday we are out driving kids but for the most part, we are home the other evenings (and their current activities only have occasional weekend commitments). It's a win for me because it provides structure, routine (something my eldest needs to thrive), and community. We split the driving and during my nights, I will often run errands or read a fun book at the dojo which is a win. It's taken a lot of time for us to get here, and I still have to remind myself that this is what works for our family in our current season of life when I look at friends whose kids don't do any extracurricular activities and other friends whose kids do multiple each season. We all function differently and for now, this is what works for us!
Love this! And honestly it all sounds really fun. <3
As the great Amy Poehler says, "good for her, not for me" - we all need slightly different parenting approaches.
My mindset about kid activities is very similar to yours, but our 1.5 year old just started her first activity (swim lessons since they were close and seem like a good practical life skill since Dad doesn't know how to swim) so we'll see if it changes! The culture of Seattle parenting for professionals seems to necessitate lots of paid activities and competitive private schools and I want to resist it but also don't want her to be deprived so striving for a healthy balance. My husband and I are both introverts who talk a lot in our day jobs so our inclination on weekends is not to expend social energy so we can recharge, but I suspect our child will push us out of our normal routines in her typical adorable but very firm way.
Solidarity, Diana!!!
And I'm a 100% extrovert... Thanks for reminding us that the activity mania can be draining for parents for reasons other than money.
I'm currently expecting my first kid and have a lot of fear of losing my own time when the baby gets here. Your post reassures me that I don't need to figure it out all at once and some of it could even be...fun!
That’s the thing… parenting is SO MUCH FUN. It’s also hard. But there’s a ton of hilarity and return to feeling like a kid myself. <3